Frankfurt Book Fair 2014: Nielsen: E-books Growth Continues in U.S. and U.K.

E-book sales continue to grow in both the U.S. and U.K., but to varying degrees. According to the latest results from Nielsen Books & Consumer’s survey of America’s book-buying behavior, e-books accounted for 23% of unit sales in the first six months of 2014, led by the adult fiction and the young adult categories, both of which saw e-books take a 30% share of unit sales in the first half of 2014. While e-books have been a meaningful part of adult fiction since the format’s early days, there has been a notable surge in YA e-books in 2014.

Beginning in 2012 with the success of the Hunger Games trilogy, YA e-books have taken off, and that trend has continued in 2014, fueled by strong e-book sales of titles like the Divergent series and The Fault in Our Stars. E-book sales represented only 22% of unit sales in the adult nonfiction category, and 13% of children’s sales excluding young adult.